book review diary of a wimpy kid the third wheel

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Diary of a wimpy kid: the third wheel, common sense media reviewers.

Greg hilariously searches for dance date in 7th book.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Readers of this installment in Jeff Kinney's mega-

The reassuring message of The Third Wheel can be f

Seeing adults through Greg's lens, we get a kid's-

Greg gets locked in the laundry room by a bratty l

Greg describes (and Jeff Kinney's pictures illustr

Greg's lazy, aimless Uncle Gary has nightmares abo

Parents need to know that Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel is the seventh installment in Jeff Kinney's hugely popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Like the other Wimpy Kid books, this humorously told and heavily illustrated story recounts the experiences and observations of hapless…

Educational Value

Readers of this installment in Jeff Kinney's mega-popular Wimpy Kid series will get a humorous but not all that unrealistic idea of middle school life, going on a first date, and being at a middle school dance.

Positive Messages

The reassuring message of The Third Wheel can be found in all of the Wimpy Kid books: Life as a tween can be awkward, embarrassing, and disappointing, but everyone gets through these years and survives.

Positive Role Models

Seeing adults through Greg's lens, we get a kid's-eye view of parenting that can make grown-ups seem clueless and random. But we can also see that Greg has caring parents who strive to improve their kids' minds and social skills, and who set reasonable limits. Greg isn't an example of great decision-making, but kids will learn from his mistakes.

Violence & Scariness

Greg gets locked in the laundry room by a bratty little boy he's babysitting. While he's trying to find a way out, Greg overhears the boy riding his bike in the house, crashing into things, and crying whenever he bumps into something that hurts.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Greg describes (and Jeff Kinney's pictures illustrate) his parents kissing, which he says makes him gag. Greg also writes a note to a girl on her desk, and another kid who shares the desk draws a picture of Greg kissing the girl to make fun of him. Greg has his first slow dance. Also, there's a "Mad Pantser" on the loose, sneaking up behind and pulling down guys' pants to embarrass them.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Greg's lazy, aimless Uncle Gary has nightmares about "monkeys in the walls." Precocious kids and teens may make a connection that Gary has used drugs in the past.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel is the seventh installment in Jeff Kinney's hugely popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Like the other Wimpy Kid books, this humorously told and heavily illustrated story recounts the experiences and observations of hapless middle schooler Greg Heffley. This book includes Greg's "memories" of being in the womb, and the awkwardness of family restaurant dining, sharing space with an uninvited relative, and most of all, struggling to get a date for the school dance. There's a very small amount of cartoon violence, as well as a few cartoon kisses, a "Mad Pantser" (who pulls down guys' pants), and loads of other funny but painfully embarrassing moments. Parts of this book series have been made into movies , too.

Where to Read

Community reviews.

• Parents say (4)
• Kids say (36)

Based on 4 parent reviews

The Third Wheel

Wimpy kid 7, what's the story.

In the seventh volume in Jeff Kinney's mega-popular series, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: THE THIRD WHEEL, central character Greg Heffley describes his formative years -- even reaching back to his "memories" of life in the womb. Through journal entries and Kinney's trademark pen-and-ink illustrations, Greg also recounts a school controversy about toilet paper, a "Mad Pantser" who pulls down guys' pants at the most embarrassing moments, his deadbeat uncle, and his struggle to get a date for the school dance. As in the other Wimpy Kid books, Greg makes dozens of mortifying errors in judgment, and hilarity ensues.

Is It Any Good?

Jeff Kinney's capacity to embarrass his character, Greg Heffley, and amuse his readers seems to know no bounds. Like the other volumes in the Wimpy Kid series, this book is full of mostly tame, middle-school-type humiliation and laughs. Kinney's memorable illustrations are as dynamic as they are funny, and as always, they tell as much of the story as the narrative does. Wimpy Kid books have typically been popular with kids even as young as 7 or 8; however, as this particular installment focuses primarily on middle school life and the big dance (as opposed to family life), some of the youngest Wimpy Kid readers might not be as excited about this book as they were about some of the others.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about embarrassing moments. Have you ever been embarrassed at school? What happened? What did you learn from it?

How does Book 7 compare with the other Wimpy Kid books?

What aspects of Greg's middle school experience seem realistic to you, and what is exaggerated?

Book Details

• Author : Jeff Kinney
• Illustrator : Jeff Kinney
• Genre : Humor
• Topics : Brothers and Sisters , Friendship
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : Abrams
• Publication date : November 13, 2012
• Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
• Number of pages : 224
• Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Kindle
• Last updated : July 12, 2017

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THE THIRD WHEEL

From the diary of a wimpy kid series , vol. 7.

by Jeff Kinney ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 13, 2012

It’s time for the Wimpy Kid machine to grind to a halt

Greg Heffley, that most profoundly unlikable of antiheroes, is back with another litany of complaints.

The book opens with a lengthy lampoon of the efforts of overeager parents to produce genius children (completely fruitless, as Greg’s post-utero experience clearly demonstrates) and ends with an enormously unpleasant Valentine’s Day dance. In between, Greg schemes for the upper hand, as always. The recession brings a cautionary example to the household in the person of his loser uncle Gary, who crashes on the couch while recouping losses from the purchase of cartons of misspelled souvenir “Botson” T-shirts. Oh, the irony: Though Greg recognizes his uncle as a creepy jerk, he does not see in Gary his inevitable future self. Will readers? Seven books into the series, one would expect to see some growth in Greg’s character, but no. He's as self-serving and manipulative as ever, possibly even more so, and by this point, there are few laughs left to mine. One’s left wondering, what is the enduring appeal? Given that Kinney’s oeuvre has spawned an entire subgenre (though he did not originate it—Marissa Moss' Amelia’s Notebook and its sequels combined faux-handwritten journals with drawings beginning in 1995), it's mystifying that kids are not flocking to the many alternatives now available.

Pub Date: Nov. 13, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-4197-0584-7

Page Count: 224

Publisher: Amulet/Abrams

Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2012

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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by Jeff Kinney ; illustrated by Jeff Kinney

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PERSPECTIVES

CHARLOTTE'S WEB

by E.B. White illustrated by Garth Williams ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 15, 1952

The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...

A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.

Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.

Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952

ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0

Page Count: 192

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

More by E.B. White

by E.B. White & illustrated by Maggie Kneen

by E.B. White illustrated by Fred Marcellino

by E.B. White illustrated by Garth Williams

SEEN & HEARD

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New York Times Bestseller

IndieBound Bestseller

THE ONE AND ONLY BOB

From the one and only series , vol. 2.

by Katherine Applegate ; illustrated by Patricia Castelao ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 5, 2020

With Ivan’s movie out this year from Disney, expect great interest—it will be richly rewarded.

Tiny, sassy Bob the dog, friend of The One and Only Ivan (2012), returns to tell his tale.

Wisecracking Bob, who is a little bit Chihuahua among other things, now lives with his girl, Julia, and her parents. Happily, her father works at Wildworld Zoological Park and Sanctuary, the zoo where Bob’s two best friends, Ivan the gorilla and Ruby the elephant, live, so Bob gets to visit and catch up with them regularly. Due to an early betrayal, Bob doesn’t trust humans (most humans are good only for their thumbs); he fears he’s going soft living with Julia, and he’s certain he is a Bad Dog—as in “not a good representative of my species.” On a visit to the zoo with a storm threatening, Bob accidentally falls into the gorilla enclosure just as a tornado strikes. So that’s what it’s like to fly. In the storm’s aftermath, Bob proves to everyone (and finally himself) that there is a big heart in that tiny chest…and a brave one too. With this companion, Applegate picks up where her Newbery Medal winner left off, and fans will be overjoyed to ride along in the head of lovable, self-deprecating Bob on his storm-tossed adventure. His wry doggy observations and attitude are pitch perfect (augmented by the canine glossary and Castelao’s picture dictionary of dog postures found in the frontmatter). Gorilla Ivan described Julia as having straight, black hair in the previous title, and Castelao's illustrations in that volume showed her as pale-skinned. (Finished art not available for review.)

Pub Date: May 5, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-06-299131-7

Page Count: 352

Review Posted Online: March 24, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

by Katherine Applegate ; illustrated by Patricia Castelao

More by Katherine Applegate

by Katherine Applegate & Gennifer Choldenko ; illustrated by Wallace West

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel (Book 7)

By jeff kinney.

Greg Heffley’s school is holding a Valentine’s Day dance, and it’s turned his world upside down. It’s every man for himself as everyone scrambles to find a date for the big day, and Greg WON’T be left partner-less. His best friend, Rowley, doesn’t have any prospects either but that’s a small consolation… To make matters worse, his Uncle Gary has moved in and is taking over the whole house. Will Greg be lucky in love, and get his house back?

Jeff Kinney Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel (Book 7)

This book made me feel Happy, Sad, Excited, Curious

I thought this book was quite good fun! I read it in large chunks which helped me to progress in finishing the book. Here's a short overview of the story, which is written in the first person. The story centres around a school dance and the three main characters: Rowley, Greg and Abigail. Rowley and Greg were best friends for many years but the arrival of Abigail makes things a bit more tricky. But lets start at the beginning and the highlights. Greg seems to be a smart cookie, saying he can remember things from even before he was born and was in his mum's tummy! In Kindergarden, his teachers thought he was super smart and moved him up to pre-school. But because he was so much younger than the other children, he got picked on and the teachers thought it was better to move him back to Kindergarden. Greg has an older brother, Roderick, and most of Greg's possessions are hand-me-downs from Roderick. He also has a younger brother, Manny, who has imaginary friends whom he treats just like normal people. (It must be strange to have two brothers like that). School council elections take up quite a bit of the story and the desire to have 'soft loo paper' gets out of hand and becomes the main theme of the elections. The students are unhappy that the teachers have soft toilet paper when they have to make do with horrible scratchy paper instead. In order to raise funds for soft loo paper for the students, a Valentine's Dance is organised. The dance sees best friends Rowley and Greg going out for dinner with a girl - Abigail. It was a bit of a challenge for Greg to find a partner for the dance and he finally found Abigail. Sad for Greg, Abigail seems to prefer Rowley who shows up to the dance wrapped up in a hat and scarf to cover his chickenpox. And yes, Abigail ends up with chickenpox, too. During the dance, poor Greg feels like the third wheel. If you like a bit of humour, this is a good book to read although it's a bit light on content!

This book made me feel Curious, Amused

This book is awesome

I didn’t like this book as much as the other Diary of a Wimpy Kid ones but I’m not saying it was terrible it was still really good but I like the others more.

This book made me feel Excited, Curious

It made me feel curious and it made me laugh so much!😂😂😂😂😂

This book made me feel Curious

Really fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnny

This book made me feel Happy, Excited, Curious

Does Greg find a date for his Valentine's Dance?

This book made me feel Excited, Intrigued, Amused

Very good and i recommend it to almost all readers

This book made me feel Excited

Great book. I've read most of these books and I love them! Jeff Kinney is a great author.

This book made me feel Happy, Sad, Excited, Curious, Intrigued, Amused

It made me full of laughter.

This book made me feel Happy, Amused

This book made me feel full of laughter

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney

I like this book because it include loneliness, betrayal, and the highs and lows of teenage romance. The purpose of the author writing Diary of the Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel is to make it not as bad on middle school students. When children read these books, they see that other kids have problems in school too. Knowing that they aren't the only ones with problems, ease up the pain in everything. There really isn't an age limit for this book because it's good for all ages. The author's style was pretty formal. The words in this book isn't very complicated or large. The words are easy to understand, and comprehend. How did the book affect me? It honestly didn't affect me at all. It was a good book, but it didn't affect me in any type of way. But it probably would have affected me if I were going through what he's going through. Greg goes through a lot of things, and writing a diary relieves stress. Yes, I would definitely recommend this book to others. This book is really entertaining and is worth reading. I mean, it sometimes gets boring and uninteresting. Most of the time it's pretty good though. I find it pretty interesting and entertaining. I love reading books and this book was amazing for me. I bet most people would like this book. This book has lots of mixed emotions, and feelings. Some of these can make you laugh, or maybe even feel sad because you know what it feels like to not be able to find a date to a dance. I really did enjoy this book though, it was a really nice book. This book can actually help people in some ways. It could also hurt them in some ways though.

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Favorite Quote: "You must give up a life you’d planned in order to have the life that’s waiting for you." ~ Joseph Campbell

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid - the Third Wheel (Book 7) Paperback – September 20, 2012

Purchase options and add-ons.

• Part of Series Diary of a Wimpy Kid
• Print length 240 pages
• Language English
• Lexile measure 1060L
• Dimensions 4.92 x 0.63 x 7.68 inches
• Publisher PENGUIN
• Publication date September 20, 2012
• ISBN-10 0141345748
• ISBN-13 978-0141345741
• See all details

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THE ONE WITH THE VALENTINE'S DANCE

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ PENGUIN (September 20, 2012)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0141345748
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0141345741
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 11 years, from customers
• Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1060L
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.92 x 0.63 x 7.68 inches
• Best Sellers Rank: #173,552 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books )

About the author

Jeff kinney.

Jeff Kinney is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of the 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' and 'Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid' series. He is a six-time Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award winner for 'Favorite Book' and has been named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. He is also the creator of Poptropica, which was named one of Time’s 50 Best Websites. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C., area and later moved to New England where he and his wife own a bookstore, 'An Unlikely Story'.

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'Diary of a Wimpy Kid: No Brainer' (book 18) is available now!

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'Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hot Mess' (book 19) will be served on 10/22/24!

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“Parents and educators applaud it as a visually friendly gateway for unwilling readers.”

NEW YORK TIMES.

“One of the most successful authors in the world.”

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Diary of a wimpy kid the third wheel.

Written by Jeff Kinney

Reviewed by Jordan Y. (age 11)

This novel, The diary of a WIMPY KID THE THIRD WHEEL written by Jeff Kenny is the newest book in the series. I like this book because it is very exciting and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It is a comic kind of book. I like this book a lot because it doesn’t have a bad ending. It is always a happy ending.

I really like it when he goes hunting for a date to the dance because he has to ask a whole bunch of people to go to the dance with him. Greg is my favorite character because he has a very close friend and they do everything together just like me and my friends. He reminds me of me because he cares for his friends just like I do. The book keeps me interested from start to finish.

I recommend this novel for readers between9-14. It is a bit long (214 pages) for readers younger than that.

Jeff Kinney

Diary of a wimpy kid: the third wheel (book 7).

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid Wiki

Hi! Welcome to the Wimpy Kid Wiki! This wiki is an encyclopedia of the Wimpy Kid Series which was made by the author Jeff Kinney . You can also discuss about Wimpy Kid in the Discussions page. Also, Hot Mess is coming soon!

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel

• View history
• 1 Main Characters
• 3.1 January
• 3.2 February
• 4 Extract quotes from the book
• 5 Sneak Peek
• 6 Major Events and Moments
• 7.1 Goofs/Errors

Main Characters

• Greg Heffley
• Gary Heffley (Main Antagonist)
• Rowley Jefferson
• Manny Heffley
• Rodrick Heffley
• Susan Heffley
• Frank Heffley

See minor characters

Love is in the air, but what does that mean for Greg Heffley? A Valentine's Day dance at Greg's school has turned his world upside down. As Greg scrambles to find a date, he's worried he'll be left out in the cold on the big night. His best friend,Rowley, doesn't have any prospects either but that's small consolation. Then an unexpected twist gives Greg a partner for the dance and leaves Rowley the odd man out. But a lot can happen in one night, and in the end, you never know who's going to be lucky in love.

Back in a simpler time, Greg was in a better place. But we all knew this wouldn't last long...

Greg talks about his baby days and explains (probably from his imagination) that before being born, he was in a dark place swimming and napping anytime he liked and wanted, until being woken up by classical music that his mother Susan would send through "parental speakers". Susan would also tell Greg about her life through the speakers too, and Frank would also tell him about his day at work. Greg then got tired of it and got out three weeks early. Then, he explains how everything he got was a hand down from his elder brother Rodrick . Susan used to not let Greg crawl a lot, and that resulted in Greg being way behind his playmates in the physical stuff. Greg finally learned to walk, but was in preschool by the time and was still quite behind his classmates. His classmates could do things like use zippers and buttons and many other things Greg was unable to, so he tried to slow them down by giving them wrong information. However, the teacher thought he wasn't learning well and called Susan and told her. Susan made him skip a grade to kindergarten, but he was scared there and went back again.

Manny watching The Snurples

Greg then explains Susan may have realized that whatever she did for Greg would not work for Manny , as she uses a different technique. Manny 's social skills are a bit bad: he also watches The Snurples , a show in which the characters have their own gibberish language, that ruins babies' grammar by one year, and he also made imaginary friends to escape danger, have fun, and get extra dessert. Greg's mother starts a Family Night thing where they go out or play games rather than watch TV, Greg then talks about the family restaurant, Corny's . Greg is doing house chores until he hears a knock and finds his Uncle Gary at the door. Uncle Gary had bought some Boston counter shirts after loaning some of Frank's money, but the shirts have a typo, and he needed a place to stay in. Living with Gary is bad for the Heffley family. His nightmares make Manny shift his bed away from the wall, and whenever Rodrick is kicked out of bed in the morning, he has to sleep on the up part of the couch.

Greg explains how Gary has been trying to get a job, but quits after a few days whenever he gets one. One of Greg's teachers, Mrs. Moretta announces in Phys Ed that the ballroom dancing unit is starting and people should find a partner by writing their names in slips and submitting them. Greg explains he will be fine with pairing with anyone except for Ruby Bird , a girl in Greg's school who has a bad habit of biting people and was suspended for biting Mr. Underwood in the elbow. At the partner announcement day, in Greg's favor, Ruby is paired with Fregley , but Greg and four other boys were partnerless. Then the teacher paired them up with each other.

An assembly by Vice Principal Roy and Mrs. Birch announces new members for the Student Council . Greg cannot sign up due to him having three detentions, but sees Rowley could be perfect. Rowley signs up to be Social Chairperson. The winner of the President voting is Eugene Ellis , who promised to replace the school's toilet paper with quilted toilet paper the teachers use. At Greg's house in his room, Uncle Gary played a future game when you are an adult, but Uncle Gary buys scratch tickets.

TWIST! Javan Hill finds out that the Pillow Soft Ultra toilet paper was being used by the teachers.

Javan Hill found that Pillow Soft Ultra toilet paper was being used by the teachers, not the kids, so Eugene went to the lounge and showed Mrs. Birch. The school then introduces a program where students can bring in their own toilet paper. However, the plan backfires when some of the boys start a toilet paper fight in the cafeteria. The school then sets a rule that kids are only allowed to have five squares of toilet paper, much to Greg's dismay, because he brought in twenty rolls and believed that five squares wasn't enough. Now that the staff is checking peoples' bags and lockers to see if they had more than five, Greg decided to have his own secret bathroom stall to keep all of the toilet paper, but that backfired when people eventually found out that Greg was hoarding toilet paper. After this whole toilet paper experience, students learned that they are going to raise money of their own if they want something.

The Student Council brainstormed ideas for a fundraiser, but most of the boys in the council decided on a mixed motocross/wrestling event. The fundraising community was formed, and, in the end the Valentine's Day Dance was made. At first the boys didn't care about it but that changed when they started selling Candy Grams which are invitations to the Valentine's Day Dance. The Dance Committee started selling them at lunch and if you pay 25 cents you can send a Candy Gram to anyone you want. After the first wave of Candy Grams got delivered, the boys who didn't get one, got jealous of the guys who did. Since there are more boys then girls in Greg's grade a lot of guys are nervous there not gonna end up with a date so they act different when a girl is around. At lunch, they usually take spoonfulls of mash potato and flick it up to the ceiling to try and make it stick. The girls hate the mashed potato thing so they sit on the other side of the cafeteria.

Vice Principal Roy gets pantsed by the mysterious 'Mad Pantser'. Who would dare do such a thing?

The other day, while doing Phys Ed, a kid named Daniel Revis got pantsed by Anthony Renfrew while shooting free throws. Everyone laughed except for Daniel but he got Anthony back when he was going for a layup. After that it was a free-for-all. Everyone is paranoid about getting pantsed that no one will stand up during their basketball scrimmages. Vice Principal Roy came into the gym to lecture the boys but Roy was standing right next to the bleachers so some kid snuck under there and pansted him. No one knows who it was but the name people are using is the Mad Pantser .

While Uncle Gary was playing his computer game, Greg told him about the Valentine's Day Dance and the Candy Grams. Uncle Gary told Greg that the best way to get attention is to look "unavailable". He told Greg that he should buy a ton of Candy Grams and have them all delivered to him so girls would think he was hot property.

Greg's unfinished relationship chart. He is a lonely little man, isn't he?

After Greg blows over 5 dollars he decided to buy a Candy Gram and send it, himself, to a girl and see how it would turn out. Greg sends one to Adrianne Simpson and since he didn't want to risk a quarter on one person he made it moneys worth. Adrianne and Julia were both giving him dirty looks when he walked into class, so its a no. Greg realises that a Candy Gram isn't the only way to ask someone to the dance. There's a girl named Leighann Marlow who sits in the same chair for homeroom that Greg sits in for history so he writes her a note on the desk. Unfortunately, Greg forgets after school detention is held in the same room as history, so some moron jumped in with an answer before she had a chance to read his note. Since it's hard to keep track of who's gone out with who, Greg drew up a chart to show whose connected.

Uncle Gary tells Greg that if he wants a girl to go to the dance with him, he's gonna have to ask her face-to-face. There's a girl called Peyton Ellis , who Greg kind of has a crush on and when he saw her drinking from the water fountain, Greg stood there patiently waiting for her to finish but she saw Greg out of the corner of her eye so she kept drinking and drinking while Greg stood there like a dope. Eventually, the bell rang and they both had to go to class. Greg realized that he should stick to girls he sought of has a connection with. The first person that came to his mind was Bethany Breen . Greg doesn't have a good impression on Bethany as he's in the middle of an anatomy unit and for the past few days he's been dicecting frogs which he is really squeamish about, so he lets Bethany do the work while he stands on the other side of the room trying to not throw up. Greg still has a shot with her though so at the end of the day, he walked up to Bethany while she was getting her coat out of the locker but before Greg got a single word out he started thinking about the frogs.

Greg told Uncle Gary about what happened at school and he said he needs a "wingman" to look good in front girls so it's easier to ask one out. Greg thinks Rowley is the perfect wingman as he makes him look good by being himself. On the walk home from school today, Rowley told Greg that he heard that Alyssa Grove just broke up with her boyfriend and she's looking for another date so when Greg got home, he called Alyssa's number, but nobody was there so he then was leaving a message. Greg clicked the pound key to delete the message but the next one wasn't good either. Rowley was in the room with Greg trying to stay completely quiet and when Greg looked at him, he lost it. Greg then deleted the messages and hung up, but he didn't know that hitting the pound key didn't delete the messages on the Groves' answering machine the way it does on his. Eventually, there was a knock on the door and it was from Alyssa's father, telling them to never call his house again.

Greg found a leather jacket of his Dad's, but in school, it is confiscated by his mother who said it was not a winter coat, this makes it harder for Greg to get a date. Greg decides his best shot is to take someone who doesn't to his school. Recently, Susan has become friends with Mrs. Stringer at Church as they both work on the Fall Fair commitee. A few nights ago, Susan invited the whole Stringer family to Greg's house for dinner. Susan spent a long time getting the house ready before the Stringers came over and Greg pitched in. During dinner, Mrs Stringer says they can never go out because Laurel is always off doing something with her friends and they can't find a proper babysitter for Wesley . Greg says that if they need a babysitter, they should call him as he figures it's a way to get in good with the Stringers and earn money. On Saturday, Susan drops Greg off to the Stringers house. Mrs Stringer said that Laurel went to her friends house already which stunk for Greg as he wanted to have a talk about the dance with her. After Mr. and Mrs. Stringer left, Wesley asked Greg if he could get his bike out of the garage and ride it inside and Greg replies no. Wesley then threw a huge tantrum. After he calmed down he asked Greg to get his colouring stuff out of laundry room but when he stepped inside Wesley locked the door. He then started riding around the kitchen on his bike. It was getting pretty late so Greg tried to find a way out. There was a freezer blocking a door to the back deck so Greg pushed it away. He then walked around the house and found a window that was unlocked. He pushed it open and went inside and ended up in Laurel's room. Greg warmed up in the covers and to Greg's dismay the Stringers came home.

Greg gives up and is instead thinking about playing video games on Saturday but Rowley gave him some news that changed everything. He said Michael Sampson had to cancel on Abigail , so now she has a dress but nobody to go with to the dance. So Greg and Rowley decide to go with her for the dance. The next day, was the night of the Valentines Day Dance and it got off to a rough start. When Greg headed over to Rowley's house, he found two bumps on his chin that looked like mosquito bites, he then realizes that it's chickenpox. He tries to cover it up, since the chickenpox has been contagious in school.

You had to ruin it all, didn't you Greg?

Greg goes with Rowley and Abigail to Spriggo's . The host tells him that gentlemen have to wear sports jackets. Greg has to wear a smelly sports suit used by others without being washed, which makes them go to Corny's, due to Rowley's like of the dessert bar; however, they have a hard time finding a good spot and Rowley and Abigail order expensive desserts, which makes Greg lie that it's Rowley's birthday to make him get a free cake. At the dance, the theme is Midnight In Paris, but old people take one half of the hall. The lights, which had only one switch, had to be on the gym for the old folks to have the meeting. Uncle Gary tries to continue selling the Botson T-shirts , but people could see they were ripped off and wanted a refund. Uncle Gary distracts the kids by playing music, making elder people complain. When the volume was down, all the girls took out their CD players and danced, but the boys cut loose and made a ruckus everywhere. During all of this, Michael Sampson walks in with Cheryl which means Michael lied about why he couldn't come and both he and Abigail are surprised to see each other. Meanwhile, Gary announces the final song and Greg danced with Abigail. But Greg sees pimples on Abigail, which he thinks is chickenpox. Later they head home, and Greg realizes the "chickenpox" on Abigail was a pimple and that the same may go for the bumps on Rowley. He doesn't think Abigail saw it that way, because she wasn't chatty with him on the way home.

Uncle Gary moves out after he wins $40,000 on a scratch card, which he wasted a lot of the money he made from the dance to buy scratch cards. Greg ends up getting the chickenpox, but he gets to take a bath in peace. The experience isn't like how he lived before he was born and when he opens his eyes, the towel next to the bathroom was gone. Greg says either someone's messing with him, or either Johnny Cheddar is at it again.

Extract quotes from the book

• I looked for a way to escape, but I was trapped. Luckily, Abigail walked out of the bathroom at that exact moment and I grabbed her hand just before Ruby got to me. Abigail's makeup was a mess from all of the crying, but I didn't really care. I was just happy to have an excuse to get away from Ruby. And to be honest with you, I think Abigail was happy to see me, too, so I led her to an empty spot on the dance floor.
• I'd never slow danced with a girl before, So I didn't know where I was supposed to put my hands. She put hers on my shoulder, and I put mine in my pockets, but that kind of felt dumb. So, we met in the middle, and that seemed about right.
• And speaking of Rowley and Abigail, I heard that the two of them are a couple now. All I can say is if that's true, it makes Rowley 'the worst wingman in history.'
• I'm supposed to stay home from school for at least a week. The good news is that with everyone out of the house, I can take a long bath without anyone bothering me.
• Or at least I THINK I'm alone. Today I had a fresh towel next to the tub, and when I opened my eyes, it was gone. So, either somebody's messing with me or Johnny Cheddar is at it again.
• Everything probably would've been just fine, but at lunch, someone threw a roll of toilet paper at somebody else, and within about fifteen seconds it was a total madhouse.
• I couldn't find any cologne in Rodrick's junk drawer, but I DID find a bottle of that body spray they're always advertising on TV. I was a little nervous about using it, though, because if that stuff really works as they say in the ads, then tomorrow night could be a nightmare.
• I just watched everything play out from my spot against the back wall, wondering why I'd wanted to go to the dance in the first place. I was also to regret not wearing the body spray from Rodrick's junk drawer because Great Uncle Bruce's cologne was attracting people outside my age group.
• Even my PACIFIER was a hand-me-down from Rodrick. I don't think he was ready to give it up, though, which explains why he never really liked me.
• Every once in a while, a few latecomers would walk in and turn right back around when they saw what was happening. But, at around 9:00, Michael Sampson came in hold hands with Cherie Ballenger.
• Also, the service is TERRIBLE at Corny's, so we always just get the buffet and serve ourselves.
• He got the crib, so for the first few months of my life I had to sleep in the top dresser drawer, which I'm pretty sure isn't even legal.
• Seriously, though, in this day and age I don't know why we're still cutting open frogs to see what's inside them. If somebody tells me there's a heart and intestines inside a frog, I'm willing to take their word for it.
• I probably should've thought about talking to Uncle Gary a lot earlier. He's been married something like four times already, so he's an EXPERT on relationships.

This is a small 54-page sneak peek into the book given by Diary of a Wimpy Kid Wiki. You might need to click on the images to view them more clearly. There was also a 7-page sneak peek if you had pre ordered the book from Scholastic.

Major Events and Moments

• Greg talks about the days when he was a baby.
• Gary Heffley moves in with the Heffleys.
• Rowley becomes the Social Chairperson.
• Eugene Ellis becomes the President of Student Council.
• Javan Hill becomes the Treasurer.
• Hillary Pine becomes the Vice President.
• Olivia Davis becomes the Secretary.
• The formation of the Dance Committee .
• Greg tries to get a date for the Valentine's Day Dance .
• Greg goes to the Valentine's Day Dance with Abigail and Rowley as a group of "friends".
• Gary Heffley wins $40,000 from his scratch card and moves out of the house.
• Greg gets chicken pox in the end.
• Rowley and Abigail possibly became a couple. It is confirmed in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck that they are actually a couple until the end of the book.
• However, in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (film) , Holly might have become a couple with Greg ; in the book, they didn't become couples, which might explain why Holly picked Bryce Anderson .
• Byron was in the Brown Family from the online book.
• The size of the Mad Pantser's hand is shown to be different from that of Anthony's, but that could just be a generic hand to show the mystery of the Mad Pantser.
• Additionally, some boys who got chicken pox and sent home were hinted to be potential answers to the mystery, since there were no additional pantsing incidents after that.
• Some viewers suspect Fregley to be the Mad Pantser due to the fact that his partner, Ruby Bird , was not with him at the dance.
• There is an exclusive version of this book, which has Fregley ’s secret notes in the back. It's a poem by Fregley that shows why girls (specifically Ruby Bird ) must go with him to the dance. You can also see it if you have the e-book version.
• Rowley closes his mouth for the second time in the books on Page 166 while eating chocolate.
• It was revealed that Rodrick might hate Greg , because Susan gave Rodrick ’s pacifier to Greg and Rodrick never wanted to give his pacifier up. However, this might not be true, because Rodrick doesn't act childish and Greg is not always true.
• It is unknown what really happened to Greg ’s towel at the end of the story.
• Rodrick also does not have any dialogue in this book.
• This is the first time a character's lies about it being another character's birthday at a restaurant.
• Greg has his covers yanked off the bed by his father to wake him up for school. This is the second time this has happened in the series, the first being The Last Straw .
• Greg apparently weighed only five pounds and seven ounces at birth - the average is seven pounds and eight ounces, meaning he was two pounds lighter than average; these hints why he was so thin, and another hint is that he was born three weeks premature, as well as Greg mentioning that he never met Rodrick until a few days after he was born.
• The book's title was originally Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Odd Man Out , but Kinney changed it to The Third Wheel for a reason. The twitter post is here .
• Rowley and Abigail Brown remain a couple in Hard Luck , marking the first time either Greg or Rowley has had a relationship and even more remarkably over more than one book.
• In this book even in the flashbacks, Greg doesn't have buck teeth; this is the first book to feature a very young or baby Greg without buck teeth.
• This book covers the months of January and February.
• This is the first book where someone gets Chickenpox.
• This the third time that Greg ’s Diary is mentioned, the first is Diary of a Wimpy Kid .
• This is the 3rd book in the series to have "the" in the title.
• This is the second book to begin in January. The Last Straw was the first.
• On Page 116, Abigail is Shown to be dating with Michael Sampson
• On Page 195 and 206, all people wearing mules. This is the first time that someone is wearing mules.
• This is the only book in which the drawing on the back cover never appears in the actual book.

Goofs/Errors

• This is the second book to have an error in the length of a month. February had 5 weeks instead of 4. The first was Dog Days, in the month of June.
• Rodrick is shown much skinnier than he is in other books.
• On page 198, the girl on the left is wearing a flower scrunchie but on the very next page, it's replaced by a standard bow tie.
• On page 32, Greg mentions that the first time his family went to Corny's, Frank's tie got cut off, though on page 33 Frank is wearing a T-shirt with no sign of a tie being cut off.

See Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel/Gallery

Diary of a Wimpy Kid- The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney

• 1 Rodrick Heffley
• 2 Greg Heffley
• 3 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hot Mess

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney

The Third Wheel is a very entertaining book for ages 8 -12 and I enjoyed it very much.

It is quite short and I managed to read it in 3 nights but it has a cleverly comic plot!

It's part of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series about a boy called Gregory Heffley and in this particular book his school puts on a Valentine's Day dance. But time is cutting short for Greg to find a date, so he resorts to getting help from his uncle.

Luck strikes as an attractive girl is searching for a date too! This seems all very well, but could the romance get in the way of certain other friendships Greg has?

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'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' Reading List

Book recs based on your favorite character.

By Ashly Moore Sheldon • May 07, 2024

Famed for laugh-out-loud humor through words and cartoons, Jeff Kinney 's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series follows Greg Heffley as he records the trials and triumphs of middle school. The hilarious and internationally bestselling middle-grade graphic novels are beloved by kids and adults alike. Hot Mess (#19 in the series) comes out this fall, but if you haven't read the complete series yet, now's a great time to get started! The series has also inspired several feature films:

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3: Dog Days
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid 4: The Long Haul
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: 1, 2, & 3

Here we've put together a list of book recommendations for some of the key characters in the books. Read on to find the titles that match your favorites.

Greg Heffley

Antihero Greg has dreams of becoming rich and famous, but at this point, he's just hoping for popularity. Greg often doesn't behave very well, but he's trying. He generally believes that he's smarter than everyone else and can't understand why he isn't more well liked. But beneath his cocksure behavior are qualities of immaturity and insecurity that many middle schoolers struggle with.

Our pick for Greg: Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

This 1964 classic offers timeless themes that seem especially relevant for today's social media world. Harriet is a wickedly smart, but socially awkward girl, who diligently records her (often critical) observations of everyone. When her notebook ends up in the wrong hands, she faces a social reckoning.

Rowley Jefferson 

Greg's gregarious best friend, Rowley, has his own spinoff series, Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid . Rowley can be childish and naive. This sometimes leads Greg to mistreat Rowley and manipulate him. When Rowley gets positive attention for the comic strip he and Greg worked on together, Greg is resentful, yet Rowley remains, for the most part, loyal and kind-hearted.

Our pick for Rowley: Once Upon a Tim by Stuart Gibbs

The underdog at the center of the comic fairy tale shares Greg's gung-ho attitude and unassuming bravery. Tim is just a peasant, but he dreams big. When he hears of an opportunity to audition for knighthood, he jumps at the chance, despite not knowing how to ride a horse or wield anything more deadly than a water bucket.

Rodrick Heffley

Greg's older brother, a teenager, is often seen as the central antagonist in the series. He routinely messes with Greg and bullies him into doing most of the housework. He's a slacker with little motivation for anything except drumming in his angst-ridden rock band, Löded Diper.

Our pick for Rodrick: Restart by Gordon Korman

Chase doesn't remember falling off the roof and hitting his head. He doesn't, in fact, remember anything . He wakes up in a hospital room and has to relearn his whole life, including who he is. When he gets back to school and sees the way the other kids react to him, it dawns on him that he might be the bully.

Holly Hills

Holly is a pretty girl who Greg crushes on. In the books, she doesn't get a lot of focus and seems largely out of Greg's social circle, but in the film adaptation, her personality is further developed and she's portrayed as more than just pretty and popular. She's a leader and an athlete with a heart of gold.

Our pick for Holly: The Prettiest by Brigit Young

It's the last thing Eve Hoffmann expected to be, the only thing Sophie Kane wants to be, and something Nessa Flores-Brady knows she'll never be. When a list appears ranking the fifty prettiest girls in the eighth grade, three very different girls join forces to stand up not just for themselves, but for one another too.

Chirag Gupta

Chirag is an Indian-American boy who shares some similar qualities with Greg. Both boys are smart, ambitious, and prone to arrogance. They could be described as frenemies and sometimes find themselves in competition. Greg has a history of joining in with other kids to play mean jokes on Chirag.

Our pick for Chirag: Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian

Omar and his family have just moved and he is less than excited about starting at a new school. When he makes a best friend, things start looking up. That is, until a bully starts making every day a nightmare. Luckily, Omar's imagination and goofy family help him get through life's ups and downs.

Manny Heffley

Greg's younger brother is pampered and spoiled by Greg's parents. When he doesn't get his way, Manny can be very vindictive. Despite being a toddler, he can be very cunning and devious, pulling off outrageous capers like cutting off all the electricity to the house, except for his own room.

Our pic for Manny: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

Two is a crowd when Peter and his little brother, Fudge, are in the same room. Grown-ups think Fudge is absolutely adorable, but Peter and his pet turtle, Dribble, know the truth. From throwing temper tantrums to smearing mashed potatoes on the wall, Fudge causes mischief wherever he goes.

Greg's school friend and neighbor is known for being weird. He has perplexing quirks, like exclaiming "Juice! Juice!" when he needs to use the bathroom, and does not have any known friends. Greg is annoyed when he is forced to hang around with Fregley, but at the same time considers him a backup friend.

Our pic for Fregley: Entering the Deep Unknown by Robert Martin

Eleven-year-old Tommy's ADHD makes it difficult to sit still and focus and his antics often get him in trouble. His friends, brothers Aiden and Jacob, think they can use their secret powers as Ninjas to help. And as they learn more about the way Tommy's brain works, they realize his ADHD gives him superpowers too.

Shane Snella

Shane is a younger and easily frightened kid in the neighborhood. When he visits Greg and Rowley’s makeshift haunted house in Rowley's basement, Shane is terrified by the "Hall of Screams," which consists of Greg and Rowley screaming over and over again, and he hides under the bed refusing to come out.

Our pick for Shane: Alvin Ho by Lenore Look

Second grader Alvin is afraid of everything, especially school, where he never says a word. But at home, Alvin is a very loud superhero named Firecracker Man, a good brother, and a gentleman-in-training like his dad. With the help of his family, can Alvin take on the outside world?

Patty Farrell

Patty is a classmate of Greg's. She is a bit of a teacher's pet and Greg develops a vendetta against her when she stops  him from cheating on a geography test. She dreams of becoming an actress and lands the lead role as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. This provides an opportunity for Greg to get his revenge.

Our pick for Patty: Dancing Shoes by Noel Streatfield

After losing their mother, Rachel and her adopted sister, Hilary, move in with their Aunt Cora who runs a dancing school in London. Coordinated and pretty, Hilary shines in Cora's dancing troupe, but Rachel is awkward and stiff. Then Rachel is discovered as an extraordinary actress. A perfect read for would-be actresses!

Do you have a favorite character from Diary of a Wimpy Kid? Which books would you recommend for them?

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